MA Media & Digital Communications

Regent’s University London

MA Media & Digital Communications

Media & Digital Communications MA

Bridging foundations in established media with future-facing digital theories and skills, our exciting new MA will prepare graduates for the global media of the 21st century.

Key information

Name: Media & Digital Communications

Qualification: MA

Level: Postgraduate

UCAS Code: N/A

Study mode: Full time

Duration: 12 months

Tuition fees: £18,000 *

Scholarships: Yes *

Next start date: September 2018

Study abroad: No

Validation: Regent's University London

*For more information please refer to the fees and financial support sections below.

Overview

The Regent’s MA in Media & Digital Communications bridges the traditions established in the study of 20th-century media with the innovative and emerging practices of the 21st century. Students will learn about a range of communicative and creative practices within media that are increasingly shaped by technological change and digital communications.

Students on this programme will gain a wide-ranging conceptual foundation for understanding the development and growth of media and communications as an academic field, as a cultural landscape, and as complex, networked industries. You will gain a critical awareness of current problems and emerging methods and analytic techniques needed to address audiences, data, digital communications and social media.

The degree offers an exciting range of optional modules to represent the breadth of issues and topics relevant to media and digital communications today. From investigating love in a digital age to learning techniques for telling stories across multiple platforms and formats, the degree will prepare students with future-facing skills needed for careers in a continually evolving professional landscape.

London is a living classroom on the degree, connecting students to a media capital and global hub for digital innovation. Guest speakers, practitioners, industry experts and specialists in the field of theory or practice will contribute to the degree and work with students to enhance their learning and skills.

A special feature of this MA is that it allows you to choose your final assessment, which can be a dissertation, a creative project or an industry placement. During this period, students will engage with employability and personal development sessions, in order to consolidate their academic experience and prepare themselves for the next exciting stage in their futures.

Structure

Length

There is one entry point in September and the expected completion time for the MA is 12 months. In order to receive the MA award, you must successfully complete 180 credits. You must take four core modules (80 credits), two to four option modules (totaling 40 credits), and one final assessment module (60 credits). The following core modules are compulsory and each module is worth 20 credits:

Autumn

Core concepts in media and communications

Media research design and methods

Spring

Social media and digital culture

Research innovations and digital methods

In addition, you will choose one of the following three final assessment options, each worth 60 credits:

Dissertation

Project

Placement plus project

In addition to the required core modules, you will choose 40 credits of elective modules or 20 credits each term. These include specialist and interdisciplinary modules designed for media & digital communications, as well as modules from other popular postgraduate degrees such as Fashion Journalism, Marketing Psychology and Business and Management. Each term there will be a minimum of four option modules on offer. Some of these modules are worth 10 credits and others are worth 20 credits. Students must choose one or two courses totaling 20 credits per term (40 credits over both Autumn and Spring terms).

Modules marked with a star (*) may be offered on a rotating basis, and may not be available during your year of study. Elective modules will be considered whenever possible.

Global media and creative economies

Transmedia storytelling across platforms

21st Century media law and regulations*

Emerging technologies*

Specialist topics in media and communications*

Mediating sex, gender, and identity

Love in a digital age

Fashion cultures: History, theory, creativity (Fashion)

New ideas in digital media (Fashion)

Marketing communication (Marketing psychology)

Brands, ads, and aspirations (Marketing psychology)

Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Business and management)

Teaching & assessment

Teaching at Regent’s is highly personalized and tailored towards maximizing student engagement and flexible learning. The MA in Media & Digital Communications is informed by both industry and research in order to deliver the most relevant content and develop future-facing skills. Courses are taught by a diverse range of experts, including academic specialists, industry leaders, and practice-based insiders.

Classroom methods draw from innovative learning methods including concept mapping, horizon scanning, and creative labs, as well as established techniques including taught lectures, computer labs, film screenings and field trips. These methods focus on individual and collaborative work and are useful across knowledge and practice-oriented modules. These highly specialized teaching and learning methods provide an important foundation for student-focused learning, guidance, and supervision.

The MA in Media & Digital Communications is open to those with prior experience and to those with no prior knowledge of the subject. However, there is an expectation that you will build and supplement your knowledge and skills with your own additional independent learning, as directed by your lecturers. This additional learning will include traditional skills like reading articles, core texts, and other key works, and you will also be expected to develop analytical skills through digital tools and programmes.

At Regent’s, we believe that learning technology should be a supplement rather than a substitute for live teaching and personal learning. To supplement your studies, the material is made available on your Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Blackboard. We have a dedicated, award-winning Learning Technology Team.

Careers

The hybrid nature of the programme, which bridges tradition with innovation and the theoretical with the practical, enables you to develop a range of generalist and specialist skills. These transferable skills will enhance your employment prospects across a wide range of media & digital communications related fields. Your knowledge and skills will open doors to you in a wide range of areas such as digital communications, media production, media research, public relations, journalism, marketing, or for further education.

At Regent’s, we believe in helping you get the most out of your experience, and provide every student with employability and personal development sessions prior to completion of your final module (dissertation or projector placement). These focused and personalized sessions will help you consolidate your skills and learning and help you communicate them to the right people and places while planning your next steps.

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

A Regent’s education provides you with a high level of personal attention, and this begins from the moment you apply to study with us. We want to understand who you are and what your skills and interests may be. We are interested in your potential, as well as your prior achievements. We review each application comprehensively and on its individual merit, considering all of your skills, interests, and attributes.

Typically, we will make an offer to a student holding a minimum lower second class (2:2) UK Honours undergraduate degree from a recognized institution. Other equivalent international qualifications from recognized institutions will be accepted.

We also welcome applications from candidates who do not meet the essential entry criteria outlined above. In order to be accepted for exceptional entry, you must:

Hold a minimum of two years’ relevant work experience

Provide a 1000-word personal statement outlining your reasons for applying, and how your previous experience is of relevance to the programme you are applying for

Be prepared to attend an interview with the Postgraduate Admissions Panel

English requirements

We require proof of English Proficiency. For example, we ask for:

IELTS: Overall score of 6.5, with 6.0 or above in all 4 component parts

Pearson’s Test for English (PTE): Overall score of 58, with 51 or above in each individual component

TOEFL IBT: Overall score 80 (We do not accept TOEFL from applicants requiring a Tier 4 visa, as this qualification is no longer accepted by the UK Visas and Immigration Department (UKVI)

International Baccalaureate: Grade 5 in A1 or A2 English at Higher or Standard Level

This list is not exhaustive, we will review the English qualifications you have as part of your application and be in contact if we require anything further.

For applicants who wish to improve their English language proficiency, please see our English language courses.

On-campus diagnostic test

For offer holders in London, we can provide a free on-campus English diagnostic test. This test must be arranged in advance. Please note, this is a diagnostic test for Regent’s University London only.

Fees

Fees September 2018

Tuition fee: £18,000

Home/EU advance deposit: £1,000 (non-refundable)

Non-EU advance deposit: £4,000 (non-refundable)

Tuition fees are set for the University’s financial year which runs from 1 August to 31 July. Annual fees for students commencing studies in spring will span financial years. Spring and autumn fees will be invoiced at the rate applicable for that term.